Big Red Rage - Miracle In The Desert

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All Red Scenes, Rising up.

Jimp you, rizing vision, flurring rage, taking it over.

Here's Paul Calvis.

I'm ready. I'm one hundred percent ready. I'm telling you ab ready and Ron Wolfleeve. It doesn't get any better than that leash the field. You know, as much as I despised Shakespeare in college as an English undergrad, I love a good Shakespearean tragedy in football, especially when it happens to the opponent. And that is why we are gathered here today for this very special Cardinals Folktales edition of The Big Red Rage presented by santan Ford in Gilbert.

This is true. I hadn't really thought about it that, but you know you going negative doesn't really surprise me that much, Paul.

Look, the real winner was a team that wasn't in the game.

Yes, that's true that Green Bay Packers got to the playoffs because of that result, and they did feel like winners that day. And Nate Poole can attest to that because he ended up in Green Bay a week later at.

The playoff game.

Yes.

Absolutely, it's by far the highlight of Nate Poole's career. Yes, we're gonna learn in fact, you tell us since you where were you, by the way, for Nate Poole's shining moment? Were you still in the press pot?

In those days, all the reporters would gather in the corner of the end zone, and we were down on the end of the field that the Cardinals scored upon. We were just on the other side. So we were down there in the between the back line the back of the goal line, in about the ten yard line, watching this unfold. Couldn't see exactly obviously because it was on the far sideline the catch, but you could hear

Yeah, there was a lot of change after this game. Going into the game, though, I mean, what were the odds the Cardinals had a chance to really win a game when they hadn't won a game in nearly two months, and the Vikings needed the game to clinch a playoff spot.

Well, the funny thing is is, not only did anybody think the Cardinals really had a chance, but even if they lost, it didn't look real good for them to get the number one overall pick. They needed a couple of bad teams to win, and it wind up working out that way if they had had lost. But then again, you know, the Vikings came. I'm guessing they were a little overconfident. I don't know. I remember watching the game from the press box thinking to myself, they don't look

We're gonna get a full recap here because it really is gripping. I mean, the first three quarters of the game not so much, but it was seventeen to six Vikings with under seven minutes to play, then just after the two minute warning it's a one score game. You need the on sidekick Neil Rackers, right, he was a master at making the ball do different things. He had that soccer background, and then things just got really crazy

Yeah, there's definitely some memorable calls. With all due respect to Dave, I don't know if he ranks in the top two there. But it was an amazing time all the way around, just because of how it ended and what it meant and just the memories of that game and for Josh mccount and aatepool.

And we're going to hear how it all unfolded in real time at the time two thousand and three. Heck, it was a holiday season and the Cardinals rock team Santa Colors right, red, white, and black. So this was their own gift, their own parting gift of the home fans. And when we come back in this very special Cardinals Folk Tales edition of The Big Red Rage, we'll hear it for ourselves. Miracle in the Desert presented by santan Ford.

In go.

And welcome back into our special Cardinals Folk Tales edition of The Big Red Rage presented by Santanford and Gilbert. We're in rewind into Cardinals history because remember, you can't spell the word history without the word story, and boy do we have one. From the final week of the regular season two thousand and three, Cardinals were hosting the Vikings and the Cardinals had exactly nothing to play for beyond the number one pick, which they would secure with

The count throwing far side into the end zone and the ball.

It is touchdown tortinles.

An unbelievable turn of events. Not here at lambeau Field, but in the desert, you would have.

Thought we won super Bowl. I mean, it was an unbelievable moment.

The things are going home for the new year.

You just don't lose like that. Nobody loses like that. Let alone to Nathan Poole.

And they pulls a good person to make that play. He deserves that.

Not one of the Minnesota Vikings are even moving right now.

You lose a game and it opens the door for your worst enemy.

The Packers not only make the playoffs, they're going to be host of the game.

It was after if the sun fell out of the sky. You know, it was a miserable day of existence.

That time that two teams played one game that stop time in three cities was a Cardinals receiver in or out of bounds? Were the Vikings and Packers in or out of the playoffs? Who would be drafting one, two, and three? All dictated by a Cardinals win that some viewed as a loss.

I think even the fans were like, now, let's just get this season over and get the number one pick walk away with the Eli manning.

There was something to play for there there. You know they're playing for something. We can be playing for something too.

He got flushed out to the right. I said, oh, here he come, being.

Of the angel mccount.

Down knocked me out at number one pick too, Man, I probably been the first pick of the draft.

Man, they cost me Nate poll Man.

I'd never forgive him for that.

I tell them that all the time.

Nathan Pool may become a household name in green Bay.

This is Mael Schmidz.

I love to get you out to one of the I said, oh no, I would love to come out.

He was given a key to the city of Green Bay and he got to go to their playoff game.

I'm sure he will have a lot of opportunities to go out in Green Bay if that is his desire. He will have a lot of people who will take good care of him.

To the winner goes the spoils. That's after the Cardinals took care of the Vikings. All right, a big win, but the big winner the Packers. Welcome into Cardinals Folktales Miracle in the Desert presented by seventy two Souls, where we go in depth into Cardinals history, all time, anecdotes through the recollections and memories of those who lived in or, in my case, those who covered it. My name is

People said, well, y'all, you know you cost it the number one pick.

The consolation was probably the greatest player in Cardinal's history and one of the greatest receivers of all time.

Looking back, like you feel bad for the Vikings.

Dot down down, Oh my god, I can't believe what just happened.

The Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.

One of the great calls, one of the great rule of victory, agony of defeat moments in NFL history, every bit as much Shakespearean tragedy as season finale. December twenty eighth, two thousand and three, Cardinals playing for the number one pick with a loss, the Vikings playing for the postseason with a win or a Packers loss. Yet none of the above happened. Here's former head coach Dave McGinnis and quarterback Josh McCown.

We gotta win a game, and we haven't won a game in seven weeks and we need to win a ballgame.

You know, there are a lot of people pulling force.

Obviously, Coach McGinnis was fantastic in front of the room. He was very captivating, and that was one of the things that he talked about was just the ability to knock those guys off. You know that they were coming in, they had to beat us, and you know they were going to get into the playoffs, and so there was something to play for there there. You know, it wasn't just a game where we're gonna roll the ball out

In two thousand and three, it was a sixteen game season. Cardinals entered the final week three and twelve. The Vikings, after a six and zero start, were nine and six, coming off a ko of KC the week before a forty five to twenty drubbing of a Chiefs team that

I mean, who knows we can play hypothetical all day? Is Macizia?

Great? But if he's not here, people coming in, what their plans are, what the ideas, and what they thought.

So I gotta win on all that. So you asking me.

To make an answer to something that I don't have all.

The information to, that's stupid.

I'm not that stupid. Yeah, please, somebody to tell you something to please Christmas?

Thank you? How about the spirit of John Inness and happiness?

That's former Cardinals running back and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, And hey, no doubt what would make the Red Sea jolly and happy? The number one overall pick under their tree. Here's Voice of the Cardinals, Dave Pash was in his second season in three.

And you endure that long of a season and you're calling games for a team that's losing a lot of games. The one thing is, Okay, you got a chance to get a franchise changing quarterback. Let's just get through this and get to that draft, get your guy, enjoy the next ten years and a couple of Super Bowls like.

That whole year. You grow up fast in this business and you go, wait, they're gonna fire these coaches. Wait a minute, they could draft a new quarterback like you know, I was just a quarterback of the future two days ago that You know, all these things, you grow really fast.

That's Cardinals could be Josh McCown, the third round pick the year before, who earned the final three starts of that O three season and tried to channel the confidence that his head coach Dave McGinnis showed in him against NFC North leading Minnesota.

I think when you look at their roster, uh when they're coming out to us with everything to play for, I think it was a tall task. Uh So looking at that going yeah, we're gonna beat the Minnesota Vikings, you know, realistically, I don't know if that was you know, if that was an easy sale for coach, but he did a good job of framing that for us, and and I think he was, you know, benefited from a young quarterback who didn't know any better and just was gonna go out and play the game.

It's the Cardinals and Vikings from Tempe Arizona Sun Devil Stadium.

Not a lot of action for the announcers to call in a fifty one degree day, a virtual snooze past six to nothing at halftime, seven to six entering the fourth quarter when Randy Moss scores on a seven yard pass, A.

Lot closer than many thought it would be, especially with a playoffs spot on the line. Of the Vikings win, they clinch their division. If they lose and Green Bay wins, they're out of the playoffs.

Then just over two minutes later, a forty six yard fuel goal makes it seventeen to six Vikings with six forty eight to play, but hang on. On the first play after the two minute warning.

McCown takes play, bank, rolls to his right, mccount in trouble, flushdown, throws end zone and going down to make the catch for a touchdown of Steve Bush. Steve Bush with a touchdown puch great improv job by Josh McCown.

A fourteenth play touchdown drive bought. The two point conversion failed, so at seventeen to twelve Vikings, a score echoed on the Packers broadcast.

James Rock Minnesota leading seventeen to twelve. Remember, the only way the Packers can make the playoffs now is if Minnesota loses this football game somehow, some way.

That's the radio call at Lambell, Wayne Lairvie and Larry McCarron paying close attention nearly two thousand miles away in Green Bay, Cardinals are going to.

Try to recover an onside kick to perhaps give us a little bit more time to broadcast.

Luckily, that day I wasn't demolition, I was recovery.

And you know, Josh Kobe and company went in there, you know, blasting guys and right place, right time. That's former Cardinals running back Damian Anderson. And that's the recipe, the mentality for a successful onside kick, because that's exactly what the Cardinals needed. Good news, the Cards are just picked up one of the best in the business in Neil Rackers.

So what fifty four to play? Neil Rackers is very good with the on side kick.

We were all standing there, you know, waiting him, because that was we knew that that was the next piece. You know, you had to get that to keep the ball game going. And you know, Neil hits a perfect ball and I mean it was just how you drew it up, you know. And Damien comes up with it.

Rackers with the on side kick far aside, and it bounce us in the air and the Cardinals have it. Of the forty two, Davian Anderson comes up with it on the re direction and the Cards have a chance. With one's fifty four to play.

The Arizona Cardinals tried an onside kick and Larry longehold they recovered it for a minute fifty four to go in that football game in the desert and the Vikings leading seventeen to twelve. Well, I'm gonna shut up about this last game.

Stuff done.

Maybe they don't a miracle. Keep talking about it.

You may be jinxing us into something good here.

Maybe that miracle can happen.

You get to that onside kick and now all of a sudden, all bets are off. I mean, anything can happen against anybody anytime, and as we know.

It did.

That's long time voice of the Vikings, Paul Allen. More from him later, much more.

Saul.

Cardinals had the ball back one fifty four left sixty one yards to go, needing a touchdown with one time out after a thirty yard pass interference and a thirteen yard completion in Nate Poole. The Cardinals reached the Minnesota nine with thirty nine seconds to go.

Meanwhile, out in the desert in Arizona, getting a little bit closer. You know people are aware of this because you could hear us in the crowd.

There is definitely at everyone is out of their seats in three different states. When Josh McCown is put on his seat, two straight plays quit driving.

McCown looking like pump back of mccount sacked back at the seventeenyrd line of McCown flushed out running near side, lost the ball, it's loose, and the Cardinals they have of the pound side out of the twenty.

Eight Emmett has a presence of mind to go, Josh, get up, get up, We gotta get the ball. Snap we go, Wow, Tom House, we gotta go. So we get to play call and then you know, and then we you know, fortunately get the Boston.

You knew that was Josh skill set, like call a play that works for him, you know, get him out, you know, get him out in some space so he's'll have a multitude of options.

The clock running down under fifteen seconds left. It's fourth down in twenty four and.

It's gonna come down to this.

They gotta throw it into the end zone.

This is it.

Fourth down, fourth and twenty five from the twenty eight. The Packers and Vikings playoff hopes hanging in the balance once again. Voice of the Vikings, Paul Allen.

There was worry and anxiety and teeth gnashing every step of the way.

Hey Green Bay, you still watching, you bet you?

And they're winding it down in Arizona. This is the last gas, fourth and twenty four, back outside the twenty five and here we.

Go eight seconds, seven six five four.

The count of the ball. This will be the last play.

The count steps up, rolling far side.

Just so happened. He got flushed, He got flushed out to the right. I said, oh, here he come.

But coun throwing far side into the end zone and the ball it is touchdown.

Cardinal's big pool and the Cardinals win the game on the final pool.

And the Kings are going home for the new year.

Josh Man, you know, the whole time he's running, he's rolling, he's pointing to the right. I'm inside, I know he's about to throw it over there and the defender. He had no clue. He had no clue.

What a great prow by Josh McCown. He threw it up early Nate Coole could get it, and he did it.

I felt like it was just there was a connection for us, you know, and so boom, there he is and then the ball came out. Uh and he makes an unbelievable catch.

But Cardinals winning on the final play.

Josh mccoum Fudd's made pole.

In the back of the end zone of the far side.

You we thought we won Super Bowl, And I mean, it was an unbelievable moment and and it meant a lot to those guys out.

There, But it meant even more to Nate Poole, the guy who had been cut four times and then he cut loose against the visiting Vikings fans who had populated and dominated Sun Devil Stadium trash talk in three two one take LFL.

Don't come back deal and next to y'all get the same thing.

Nate Poole, the living embodiment of the ups and downs of an NFL game. He was something fired up while those Viking fans could have been more let down. Remember Nate Poole was a player who was always in proven mode, always existing on the edge of the roster, so he

Looking back, like, you feel bad for the Vikings because they were right there on the cusp and to lose that way, man, that's bitter.

Nate Pool's game winning, playoff busting, last second fourth down touchdown catch was one of his two two career touchdowns, leaving the Vikings on the outside of the playoff picture looking in as radio voice Paul Allen and company were left in a state of utter disbelief.

People were just staring longingly on the team bust to the airport. Nobody knew what to say, and they were just trodden. And you just don't lose like that. Nobody loses like that, let alone to Nathan Poole, not Angkwam Bolden. So I mean, now as we connect the dots, you know, of the entire thing over twenty years, it hits me so vividly because of how emotional it was at that moment.

The season's on the line.

Two receivers left and right. McCown takes the snap.

He steps up, he's all by himself, fires into the end zone.

Dods Dods down.

No, no, the Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.

The previous owner of the team, Red McCombs, hated that call. He didn't let me know, but he let others know. Some vice presidents here, so you know, I had some conversations with some vice presidents and I'm like, you know, you don't script moments like that, and that's what came out. So I had to deal with that very young in my career.

I understand and where Paul's coming from. You get invested in the team. It's your team, and I thought Paul handled it perfectly. Some people might say, uh, it's not professional, but that's how the fans feeling.

No, are you kidding?

Right?

That was Paul's reaction.

One thing I remember about the call is I looked to my left where the coaches were, and our linebackers coach at that time, Pete Bursage, he could hear me through the glass yelling no, no, no, no, And then I came down. The Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.

The Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.

The way he looked at me, it was not anger at me. It was one of two things. Oh my god, I can't believe what just happened. Oh my god, that check that I was going to get for a playoff bonus, it just went up into the tenpiece.

Guy from Minnesota fans saying you sunk my Viking ship. Just the sheer agony of it all to the utter ecstasy of cheesehead nation listening on the Packers radio network, and here we go.

This is if the season for the Packers.

On the line into the end zone accounts pack.

Hey Joe.

Cutting down.

It is as I'm on Packers by.

Label, complete dead look from Wayne Larity and Larry McCarron reacting to a game they're not even calling, just watching from two thousand miles away.

Patters the biggest amercon on the Packers. Sadly any reps the Packers. They finally realized there's any rep I'm a final playoff. The regular season for the fight Kings.

They lose eighteen of seventeen.

The Packers not only make the playoffs, they're gonna be host of the game.

True Brett Farvan. The Packers would host the Seahawks at Lambeau to open the playoffs. Later, Dave mcginni shared with the media that Packers coach Mike Sherman and GM Mark Hadley called him and said, quote, you're a bleeping king here in Green Bay. The thing is back in Tempee, speaking of coach mac. Different emotions, a different reality started to set in as the Cardinals locker room grew quiet, almost somber.

For all that we've been through, we never quit on each other. It was a constant, constant reminder of what character I've got in this room.

I've never been afraid to tell you that.

I love you.

It was somber, and it's very soberinging. You're just like man, back to reality. This is what we're faced with. And he was genuine with his words, and you know how I cared about guys, and so I think he understood in that moment that that was probably, you know, the last time or one of the last times he was going to address this as a group.

I've never been afraid to open myself to you because you've got my heart.

You've got my heart.

You know.

It's a roller coaster, really, because you were just as high as it gets. You know, for fifteen twenty minutes, they're celebrating and enjoying one another, and then you know, the business sets in.

When Nate Poole gave me this ball that he caught.

What did I tell you last night? I cut this man four times. I cut him four times.

And every time I did, he stood up in my office and hugged me and said, Mike, if you need me, I'll be back because you're the only man I want to play for.

And that's the way I know that all of you feel right now.

It was real motion on It was like you know, your last family hug, you know, and and you know, and it hurt because we know, you know, he's a player's coach, and he loved the players. He wanted the players to do, you know, to excel, to be really great.

You know what I feel for you, You know what I feel for you.

This was a tremendous, tremendous demonstration of men that not only love each other, but believe, believe, believe, you.

Know, most of us felt like we let Dave down because you know, we didn't come up on the winning side of a lot of these games to keep him around.

I'll never ever give up on you.

I love you. Thank you.

On the very next day, with a foreign swall season in the books, Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis was indeed fired. Vikings head coach Mike Tye survived despite the Vikings collapse after that six and oh start. As for the Packers, the party was just starting and Nate Pool's celebrity was growing.

Nathan Pool, of all people, how about that, Nathan Pull may become a household name in Green Bay.

It was an amazing play. But you know, like I say about Nathan, and I'm not being disparaging here, but that was his fifteen minutes of fame. And then of course the next week he was given a key to the city of Green Bay and he got to go to their playoff game, and.

That is accurate. Nate Poole, who going into the season finale had eight catches all season and no touchdowns, was now Packer's royalty, to the point where he got a call from the mayor of Green Bay.

So Mayor Schmitz gave me a call and I was like, oh, here we go. Stop calling my phone because I'm thinking it's a player, and I'm thinking he's gonna call that player's gonna call me back and say, man, dude, what are you doing?

Then I got a call right back.

It was the same number. Okay, hey, how you doing this in April?

And he was like, Hey, Nate, no, this is not a joke. This is Mayor Schmidt.

I love to get you out in a speed talking I.

Love to get you out to one of the games. I said, oh no, I would love to come out.

And that's not the only call he got that week. On the Big Red Rage radio show with host Dave Pash, a Packers fan dialed in from the Midwest line too. Dave, Mary, Joe, Mary Joe, Welcome to the Big Red Rage.

Go ahead, Joe.

Hey, guys, thanks a lot. I was just calling to wish Nate a wonderful time in Green Bay and to give him a huge thank you. Since the Vikings started off six and oh this year, I've been taking a lot of grief for getting a lot of grief from my friends who are Viking fans, and I would roll my eyes and just say, oh, you know, won't you ever learn the Vikings will find some way to implode again.

Hey, Mary Joe, how about taking date out to dinner when he gets up there.

I'm sure he will have a lot of opportunities to go out in Green Bay if that is his desire, he will have a lot of people who will take good care of him.

Nate Poole laughed all the way to Green Bay, an all expense paid trip in January on the tax Beyar's tap as the undrafted receiver from Marshall became a grand Marshal of sorts. But don't forget about the other end of that touchdown pass QB Josh McCown.

You know, they fly Nate up to Green Bay and they give him the Kidah City or whatever they did, and they're sending us. We were getting Christmas cards from Green Bay fans that it was their family Christmas card, and you know it would you know, scratched out and Merry Christmas and thank you for beating the vikings. Go Pat go, and loads of Christmas cards mail to the house of the Sargento family. Sent the best cheese basket you've ever seen in your life.

That was two thousand and three. But even to this day, when he's out and about, Josh McCown gets reaction for both school Nation and America's dairy lamb walking.

Through an airport or whatever, and there will be, you know, a disgruntled Vikings fan and hey, you you know you owe me, you know type of thing, or it'll be a Packers fan that'll be like, thank you for getting us in the playoffs that year, you know, we owe you.

I was at home back in Minneapolis or watching that game, and I did not like Nate Poole because I thought I had a chance to be the number one pick, and I used to always mess with Nate.

That's Minnesota native Larry Fitzgerald not only a former Vikings ball boy and their number one fan at the time, but fitz might have been the number one pick overall in the NFL draft.

Me and Larry had that conversation. Believe me that he would have been the number one overall pick. We're talking in the receiver room before the meeting about being him being the number one pick. As I think back to what his sided bonus was, how he didn't do too bad at the number three pick, people.

Said, well, y'all, you know you cost him the number one pick, and I go back and go, you know, I don't think Coach Green would have I think he would have picked Larry. He was gonna pick Larry, and it turned out really good for Larry and and ultimately for the Arizona Cardinals too. He helped lead that franchise, Uh, you know, through a lot of things to become a you know, a competitive franchise and you know, to really what they are today.

Walking away from that with mixed emotions of Wow, what a way to win a game, but also, oh my goodness, there goes the quarterback of the future. There goes he lied.

Yep.

Cardinals won the game, but lost the number one pick, which ended up being Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. We'll never know who knew head coach Danny Green would have picked for the Cardinals, or do we. Larry Fitzgerald says at number one, he still would have been the Cardinals selection.

Then he said, I would have been. That's what he told me. He told me I would have been. But you know what, it all worked his way out. I was able to still get here and play for him. I know, we didn't have the success I'd love to have for him. You know, he gave me my first two jobs I ever had as a ball boy and then as a professional athlete, and so I owe him a huge debt of gratitude and I'm just so very thankful for, you know, the doors he opened for me and my family.

Touchdown Cardinals, they pull and the Cardinals win the game.

The final part, I bring my heart head to practice in the games every day. And I knew, you know, that's what it was about as growing up as a youngster, that it was about, you know, bringing your hard head and working out and just pushing to make the team.

You know, coaches say run every route as if it's your last one. Nate Pool really did it. But it was like comical, like he went so hard, so pretty cool to see a guy that worked that hard have one of the biggest plays of the season, not just for the Cardinals but for the entire league.

I got to tell people, hey, you can only do it one play at a time.

I got you on that play, and needless to say, it's the play in Nate Poole's career, one of the most dramatic and consequential plays in NFL history, the Cardinals.

Have knocked the Fighting's out of the playoffs.

And Nate Poll's a good person. He's a great person to be around. And you look back at that and that's a special moment for me in my career as well. So but it couldn't happen to a better guy. And they's good dude.

Yeah, who says good dudes finished last?

Right?

In fact, as Dave McGinnis said back then with a smile to the media, quote, there were two receivers on the field from Marshall that day. They had Randy Moss, we had Nathan Poole. So there you have it. Cardinals Folk Tales Miracle in the Desert, presented by seventy two Soul for producer Jim Mamhundro. I'm Paul Calvic and that's the story of how an unknown receiver won that day, but a Hall of fame receiver was on his way.

The consolation was probably the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the greatest receivers of all time.

With the third choice in the two thousand and four NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver University.

Of fifth Curd.

That was the red seat Cardinals fans at the official draft party two thousand and four welcoming Larry Fitzgerald to the Valley. Why a departure from the climate a few months earlier when many Cardinals fans viewed the win against the Vikings as a loss because the Cardinals lost out on the number one pick overall and ostensibly a franch quarterback, which eventually was Eli Manning as the top overall pick.

I think they end up taking Larry Fitzgerald, because I think Denny Green wanted Larry Fitzgerald on his team. You know, I remember so vividly in the month leading up to the draft. Denny then he wasn't like a lot of coaches there were oftentimes when he was.

He said more.

Then maybe he should.

And I remember in those.

Days, I was covering the team for the East Valley Tribune. I had come out to a day in the off season sometime in April, and I was the only writer here and the only other media member who was showing up was brad Cessmett, who was working for one of the local stations that day, and he had an interview apparently scheduled with Denny Green. And all they did was bring Denny Green down to the media area and then they just had a camera and they were sitting there

Get from it.

Hey, nobody told you you couldn't.

So Denny Green is talking about and you have to remember again the draft with Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. Those are all available with the Cardinals picking third. And at this point the Cardinals quarterback was Josh McCaw probably, and there were questions about Josh and whether he was gonna you know, and Denny loved Josh.

I tell you though, that was back in the days. And we just talked about this where a quarterback wouldn't always go number one, right, And we knew Denny's affinity for Larry Fitzgerald, his former ball ball by the way in Minnesota, so he knew Larry better than anyone and fits as it came to be. Once he did get drafted, he showed up in the Cardinals locker room and there was Nate Poole. Nate Poole heard it from Larry that he cost him the number one pick overall.

Oh yeah, And look, it's not like the Cardinals made a poor pick by any stretch of the imagination. But you do wonder a little bit what, okay, Eli Manning went number one and then Robert Gallery went number two. But you wonder a little bit if they didn't take Fits and they take Ben Roethlisberger or they take Philip Rivers, how different does life with the Cardinals?

You know happen?

Now?

The Cardinals make the two thousand and eight Super Bowl because they get Kurt Warner, who has his career renaissance throwing to Ankwambolden and a very very good Larry Fitzgerald. And the Cardinals don't make the super Bowl unless Larry has arguably the greatest performed postseason performance of any wide receiver ever.

So, and guess what, Kurt Warner doesn't end with the Cardinals if Eli Manning doesn't end up with the Giants.

All so true, Although Eli wasn't drafted by the Giants, he was drafted by the Chargers and they had to make the trade for Philip Rivers. There's a lot of intrigue with that draft.

Yeah, there's no doubt. Look, Nate Poole didn't have much of a career after that. No always remembered for what he did for the Green Bay Packers. Got the all expenses pay trip in January to Green Bay, gladly because he got a key to the city and everything else. But they ended up changing the force out rule in large part because of how that went down in the end zone at sun Devil Stadium.

I had no question that it was a force out play. And now you have to get feet down and if a guy pushes you out of bounds your eye, that touchdown does not count in today's NFL.

So many memorable moments and memorable radio calls from that game. One of the great historic moments in Cardinal's history, and it's been a pleasure reliving it, no doubt about it. Miracle in the Desert Cardinals folk Tale special thanks to our Jim al Mahundro for Darren Urban. I'm Paul Calvic

Number one til.

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